The ‘Mudswamp’ of Culture: Endo’s Silence and the De-Christianization of American Culture

Abstract

Much has been written about the impact of Endo’s “Silence” book and film, but very little about its impact on American cultural processes at the time. Still, much less has been written from a specifically Catholic Christian point of view. This essay seeks to redress that imbalance in a positive, constructive way. It seeks to redress that imbalance by primarily taking into focus how various social factors played a central role in the progressive dechristianization of American culture, as they did in Europe many years before. The central claim here is that while Christian theologians were championing the liberalization of American culture prior to but especially after the changes initiated by Vatican II, Endo’s book and film played a central role in continuing that dechristianization process largely unbeknownst by the average American Christian public, Catholic or Protestant. To make this clear, the essay engages in an extensive review of the literature on many related core issues: the social background of the author, Shusaku Endo; cultural changes initiated by Vatican II; Japanese social, historical, and cultural factors; important details about the film production of Endo’s book; American cultural changes taking place at the time; and more. The essay concludes by asserting that social factors played a central role in significantly influencing American religious beliefs.